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Not my Instant Pot but it it IS so magical I DO call it Instant Harry Potter...

I love cooking but, like most of you, I also feel crunched for time. I joined the Instant Pot bandwagon at the end of last year and let me tell you: It's the best appliance I've bought and the one I use the most thanks to it's magical time-saving abilities.

Since I've played around with it for a while, I thought I'd share one of my favorite lunches to pack for the week: Salsa Chicken (which I got from NomNom Paleo) with Sweet Potatoes and Cabbage Slaw! Keep in mind that you can absolutely still make this if you don't have an Instant Pot :)

Ready? Let's make it!

INGREDIENTS (makes lunch for 1 for 5 days):5 small sweet potatoes (I LOVE the bagged sweet potatoes from Trader Joe's because they're so tiny)1 cup water1-2 lbs chicken breast, depending on how many oz you want (aim for 3-5oz)Salt and any other seasoning you'd like to use, to taste1 jar of your favorite salsa1 bag already-made chopped cabbage slaw to save timeCilantro, choppedAvocado if desired

For the Sweet Potatoes:- Pour 1 cup of water into your Instant Pot- Place a steamer into the Pot- Place your small sweet potatoes in the steamer- Close the lid and make sure the vent is closed- Press the Pressure Cook button and set the time to 4 minutes (or up to 10 if you like your sweet potatoes really soft)- When the 4 minutes are up, let the Instant Pot release the pressure naturally (this can take 10 minutes or so)- Open the lid and carefully place the cooked sweet potatoes into a bowl and let cool; once cool, you can take the skin off (it should easily slide off the potatoes)- IF YOU DON'T HAVE AN INSTANT POT, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and place sweet potatoes on the sheet (you can poke the potatoes with a fork to make a few holes, too). Cover the sweet potatoes with foil and bake for 45-60 minutes.

For the Salsa Chicken:- Season both sides of your chicken breasts with salt and whatever seasoning if you'd like (I love the Spice House's Chipotle Chili Powder)- Place the chicken in the Instant Pot- Pour your jar of salsa on top of the chicken- Close the lid, making sure the vent is closed, press the Pressure Cook button, setting the timer for 7 minutes- As soon as the timer goes off, open up the vent for a quick release- Open the lid and place the chicken in a separate bowl so it can cool and not dry out- Once cool, shred the chicken (either with two forks or with clean hands)- IF YOU DON'T HAVE AN INSTANT POT: You can still make this in a slow cooker by following all of the same steps and then either cooking on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours

TO PUT IT TOGETHER:- Line up all of your Salsa Chicken fixings in a line along with your lunch containers (I love these)- I started by putting in the sweet potatoes, and then the cabbage slaw...

- I then topped the slaw with the Salsa Chicken- Chopped some cilantro on top- I'll dice 1/4 of an avocado into my container daily so it doesn't get all brown and icky during the week...

And voilà! A yummy, well-balanced meal that should carry you through your day without a mid-afternoon slump that didn't take all day to make!

I think tacos are awesome. Nutrition coaching rockstar Josh Hillis even let me write all about my love of tacos for meal planning here. And while Winnie the Pooh may be eating all sorts of the wrong tacos, I personally think they can be a brilliant way to set yourself up for a tasty and healthy weight loss/weight management plan.

The Taco Breakdown: What gives tacos the healthy meal potential1. Pick a lean protein (shrimp, tilapia, ground turkey, even tofu!)2. Pick your protein seasoning (like spice blends you can find at Penzey's, sauces you fan find at the grocery store by the one and only Rick Bayless, or make your own! Regardless of what you choose, it's the seasoning that turns the boring into the exciting).3. Pick the veggies that will compliment your taco (pico de gallo/salsa, diced avocado, jicama or cabbage slaw, sliced or diced peppers... there are lots of options!)4. Choose a small amount of a complex carb (like beans)5. Choose your taco's container: Typically a corn or flour tortilla but you can also do a lettuce cup (which I'm seeing more and more out in restaurants!). OR you can get even more veggies into your meal and make your taco a SALAD! Which is what I'm showing off today.

(The cool thing about the Taco Breakdown is that, even if you don't like Mexican food, you can use these exact same steps to create a great plate of any cuisine you like!)

I've been playing around with different taco bowls that don't need to be reheated that I can take to TruFit with me for lunch. I finally found one that fits a few criteria that I need if I'm going to eat in a public place (like my Evanston gym!):1. Easy to eat/isnt' messy2. Isn't stinky3. Is really easy to make ahead4. Is really easy to put together

​HERE IS THE MEGA YUMMY OUTCOME!:

And here's how to make this specific taco salad for the week!

INGREDIENTS:1 tsp coconut oil or light tasting olive oil1/2 of a red onion, chopped1.5 lbs​ ground turkey (figure about 3-5oz protein per meal, depending on how active you are; can be a mix of dark and light meat, your choice. I'm eating this fabulous taco salad M-F this week to make life easier)1 packet of Frontera Chicken Taco Seasoning SauceSalt and pepper to taste2 heads of Romain lettuce, washed and chopped1/4 cup pinto or black beans (or, if you were like me this week, refried beans)A few Tbsp of salsa1-2 Tbsp Greek yogurt1/8-1/4 of an avocado

DIRECTIONS:= Heat your oil in a sauté pan over medium heat.= Once hot, add your chopped onions. Sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes.= Turn heat up to high and add the turkey and brown, breaking the ground turkey into small pieces.= Add in the seasoning sauce and cook on medium heat until the turkey is cooked through.= Let it cool.

TO ASSEMBLE:= Place a good 1-2 handfuls of Romain in a large Tupperware container.= Top it with your portion of protein.= Garnish with your beans, salsa, Greek yogurt and avocado.= Keep the salad fresh by either placing it in the fridge or in a handy-dandy lunch bag cooler. = Ta-da!

Now, if you're going to do this every day and want the salad to stay fresh, here's what I would do:= Separate the protein into individual containers like these. Then, when you place the lettuce into your salad container you can just plop the protein on top.= Place the washed and chopped lettuce in a Ziplock bag with 1-2 paper towels to absorb the moisture (keep some air in the bag when you close it)= Keep the condiments separate in the fridge and scoop in whenever you assemble.= You can either put your lunch together the night before or morning of.

And then all you have to do is thoroughly enjoy this salad, like I have every day this week! BON APPETIT! (Have a question/comment/idea? Leave it in the comments section!)

Last week I posted recipes for Chilled Carrot Soup Shooters and Roasted Cauliflower Hummus (yum!). This week, I'm bringing you another kind of hummus AND something to satisfy your party guests' sweet teeth without slapping them in the face with a sugar bomb.

Now, I personally never read the whole story behind other bloggers' recipes. I just scroll straight down to the recipes SO: I'm just going to get down to business !!

Ready?

​Let's make some food!

​Beet Hummus

Makes about 4 cups

Ingredients: 4 medium beets (the reason I'm not telling you how many pounds here is because sometimes when you buy beets, the greens are heavier than the beets themselves)3 tbsp tahini3 tbsp lemon juice3 roasted garlic cloves (since I'd already roasted one head of garlic for the cauliflower hummus, I used cloves from that head instead of raw; read about how to roast garlic here)1 tbsp cuminZest from 2 lemonsGood pinch of kosher salt

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375.

Lightly oil the beets, place on a foil-lined backing sheet and then cover with another piece of foil.

Roast in the oven for 60 minutes or until a knife can pierce straight through.

Once the beets have cooled off, peel them. I highly suggest wearing disposable gloves if you have them so your nails don't stain red. At the minimum, wear an apron. Beets stain like crazy.

Cube up the beets and place them in a blender.

Add all of the remainder of the ingredients into a blender or Vitamin and blend until you get a hummus-y consistency.

NOTE: This recipe is adapted from one I found at SimplyRecipes.com; I thought the original was a little too runny so I added tahini. I also found that it tasted better 24 hours after making it so don't be afraid to make ahead!

My good friend and health industry colleague Dr. Meggie Smith of Chiropractic First in Evanston invited me to join her during the Downtown Evanston Wine Walk last week to do "something fun" in her office since she was one of the wine walk stops. I racked my brain, trying to figure out what to do and then I figured, Hey! Why don't I provide the food?

I assumed other stops might serve cheese, charcuterie or chocolate to go with their wine so I thought, "Why not serve some more non-traditional, veggie-centric appetizers?" It's so easy to fill a table of apps with the things I listed above (I do when I have people over, cheese is awesome!) but sometimes veggies get left out or treated like second-rate citizens of Appetizerlandia.

Thanks to everyone who asked for the recipes, I am posting two here! (Two more will come next week!) Enjoy!

CHILLED CARROT SOUP SHOOTER

Serves: Many, many, people if you serve this in small cups as a 3oz "shot" of soup (perfect if you're not doing a sit-down app course). You can freeze this soup if you have too much (or cut the quantities in half). NOTE: I got this recipe from Gourmande in the Kitchen. I've made it many times with slightly different variations but the below is the best combo in my humble opinion.

Chop up cauliflower into small florets; toss with 1 tbsp olive oil and a little bit of salt and place on a foil or parchment paper-lined cookie sheet or roasting pan.

Slice off the tips of the head of garlic; place your 1/2 tsp of coconut oil on the sliced portion and then wrap in foil.

Roast the cauliflower for about 30 minutes (turning once half-way through cooking) while you roast the garlic for an hour.

Once cooked, place cauliflower, 4-5 cloves from the roasted garlic, the rest of the olive oil, tahini and lemon juice in a blender. Blend well until creamy and no large chunks of cauliflower are present.

My love for slow-roasting salmon runs deep. But sometimes I don't have 30-60 minutes to let it baste in its own juices. I'm guessing you don't always either! So here's a way I learned to make it that takes literally 10 minutes max.

Makes 2 servings:Ingredients:

Cooking oil like olive oil or coconut oil

2 4-6oz portions of good quality salmon

Salt and pepper to taste

Herbs for fish should you desire them

Directions:

Season your salmon to taste. Then, heat enough oil to coat the pan you're using (preferably nonstick) on moderately high heat. You want the oil hot but not smoking hot.

Place your salmon filets skin-side UP to sear the fish until browned, about 3-4 minutes. Don't play around with the fish while it's browning. Just let it sit :)

Flip the filets over and cook skin-side down for another 3-4 minutes. And that is IT! Seriously!

Obviously the more you cook the fish the more well-done it will be. The times I mentioned are for a medium cook temp which is how I prefer it. The white albumin that seeps out of salmon shouldn't form this way.

Feel free to chop up some herbs to top the fish, give it a splash of lemon, serve it with capers on the side. Add some veggies to your plate and you're good to go!

I love bok choy. LOVE IT. And lucky for me I've been finding the most beautiful bok choy at Whole Foods recently. Since it's so easy to make, I've been loading up. So if you find yourself starting at these beautiful supergreens on your next trip to the store, grab them! Because now you have a recipe:

Prep Time: 5-10 minCook Time: 10 minServes: 2-3

Ingredients6 baby bok choy, sliced lengthwise and cleaned thoroughly1/2 Tbsp cooking oil (I prefer coconut oil for this) 1 clove or garlic, minced (optional)1/4 cup organic chicken or veggie broth (if you don't want to open a box of broth, you can use one of those individual packets of concentrated broth like this and add some water; it's a little processed but it can work)Salt and pepper to tasteCoconut aminos and sriracha (optional)

Directions

Heat oil over medium heat in a skillet.

Sauté bok choy in the oil for a few minutes, browning them ever so slightly.

Add in broth, turn heat down to low and cover.

Cook on low for 5-10 minutes. I test the doneness by poking the bulb with a knife; I like it to have a little bit of a bite to it so it's not too soft.

Once cooked, I like to add in a little bit of coconut aminos (which I prefer to soy sauce) and sriracha and mix it in with the broth.

Plate your veggies in a bowl and top with your broth mixture and ENJOY!

I promise I am not vilifying carbs or gluten or pasta. But lately I've been watching how many starchy carbs I eat because of my current fitness goals and I'm deciding to eat foods like pasta and breads sparingly. So while I'm craving a comforting pasta dish for dinner tonight since it's cold outside, I decided it would be wiser for me to make the alternative: Zucchini noodles!

If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you've been witness to my love affair with zucchini noodles (and if you're an Evanston personal training client, you even got your own spiralizer for the holidays!).

Why do I love them so much? Let me count the ways:

They take less than 10 minute to make from start to finish.

When the zucchini is spiralized, the noodles are so voluminous it looks like you won't be able to finish one serving (we eat with our eyes so this is great!).

You can pair the noodles with anything you'd have with pasta: Meat sauce; garlicky shrimp; chicken; black beans, avocado and tomatoes! With zucchini's mild taste, the noodles are a blank slate!

So how do you make these noodles? you ask. This way:

Wash your zucchini and pat dry (1 med-large zucchini per person). You do not need to peel the zucchini.

Heat some olive or coconut oil in a pan on medium heat for a few minutes.

Spiralize the pasta directly into the heated pan.

Toss around for a few minutes (like, 5-8), making them al dente. Be careful not to overcook otherwise you'll have soggy noodles.

Add salt/pepper to taste.

AND THAT IS IT! Just add whatever you'd like on the side (or on top!). And you've got your serving of veggies for your meal!

So, go ahead and make some noodles and let me know what you paired them with in the comments (and share your pics on Facebook)!

Let's face it: We live in a culture of "I'm too busy". Too busy to cook, to clean, to exercise, to have fun. I'm just going to tackle the "too busy to cook" part today by sharing a CrockPot recipe that I have fallen in love with. It tastes amazing and only took me 10 MINUTES TO PREPARE!!! This is altered from Good Housekeeping. Here's what you need:1 onion, sliced.3 peppers (the choice of color is yours), sliced1/2 cup picked jalapeños (or more or less depending on your taste)1 bay leaf2 tsp ground cumin1 tsp dried oreganoSalt2 lbs flank steak (grass fed if you can find it; otherwise make sure it's as lean as possible)1 14-oz can whole tomatoes, roughly cut up

Load up and mix the onion, peppers, jalapeños, jalapeño, bay leaf, spices and salt. Then, add the beef. Finally, add the tomatoes on top. Cover and cook on low for 9 hours. When it's done, take the beef out to shred with forks. Get rid of the bay leaf. Skim off any excess fat from the pepper mix. And then... EAT! Serves 4-6. Serve with sautéed spinach and a black beans (if they're your thing).

I found myself with 4 small zucchini in the fridge and zero idea what to do with them. Though I normally meal plan BEFORE going to the store, I must have gotten these because they looked good. I do that sometimes: Get pretty produce with grandiose ideas of producing a Top Chef-worthy dish for dinner and then realizing that the hour and a half break to get stuff done won't be enough time. (Who's with me?)

So I decide do stop thinking so hard about it and VOILA! I made this really yummy, fresh and quick side dish in 30 minutes TOTAL. Check it out:

INGREDIENTS:4 small zucchini1/8-1/4 cup grated Parmesan or crumbled goat cheeseSalt and pepper to tasteOlive oil optional (though I'd suggest finishing off the dish with it rather than heating up the oil)

DIRECTIONS:Turn the oven to 350. Using a mandolin or knife (carefully...), thinly slice the zucchini. Grease a baking dish and layer the thin slices on top of each other. Salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle on the cheese and pop in the oven for 20-25 minutes. That's it!

Enjoy! And if you make this, post in on my Facebook page or Instagram or Twitter or wherever you'd like and use the hashtag #IzzyFitFood!

Winter is almost over which makes me wish I'd thought of this earlier in the season. But, hey, as long as it's still cold, I will continue to make this awesome, super tasty, satisfying, comforting dish. Best of all, especially for my fellow food-sensitive friends, this dish is free from most allergens like eggs, nuts, etc and is gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free and paleo-friendly.

Here are your ingredients:1 Spaghetti squashOlive oilSalt Pepper1 lb Organic grass-fed beef (or whatever meat you prefer)1 Large carrot, chopped1-2 Shallots, chopped1 Jar marinara sauce (I'm super lucky to have some of my parents' homemade sauce but you can use an 18-oz store-bought sauce. Make sure to look at the ingredients to verify there's no dumb stuff in there like sugar... Trader Joe's Traditional Marinara Sauce does the trick.)Parsley or cilantro to garnishRed pepper flakes to garnish

Pre-heat the oven at 400F. Slice the spaghetti squash in half length-wise and scrape out the seeds. Brush some olive oil on the flesh and salt and pepper to taste. Line a roasting pan or cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the squash flesh side down. Bake for 50-60 minutes. Time will depend on how big your squash is.

In the meantime, heat a heavy fry pan over medium heat. Trader Joe's has 85% lean organic grass-fed ground beef so I find that I definitely do not need to oil the pan ahead of time even if the pan is not non-stick. Brown the meat in the pan for about 5-10 minutes. Before it's all cooked through, stir in the chopped carrots and shallots. Cook until softened. Then, pour in the marinara sauce. Turn heat to low and let the sauce simmer very softly for 10-20 minutes to let the sauce cook down a little bit.

When the squash is done, let it cool down. Once the temperature is cool enough to handle, use a fork to scrape the flesh out.

Then, simply scoop out some spaghetti squash onto a plate and top with meat sauce. I like to sprinkle some red pepper flakes and chop up a little bit of cilantro to give the dish a little extra punch.

And that's it! Super easy and mega nourishing! If you're up for it, put some greens on the side!

Enjoy! And remember, if you make this and post a picture online, use the hashtag #IzzyFitFood!